Chapter 580 - 527: Just So-So
Jiang Fuzhen had a principle when hosting a feast: all who could come, should come. The emphasis was on boisterous and harmonious celebration.
Normally, each family would send one member to attend with a gift in hand. However, Jiang Fuzhen didn’t follow this rule; each family was allowed to contribute a gift, and any number of people could come.
Being able to contribute a gift meant that Jiang Fuzhen’s gift table typically didn’t keep track of offerings. If a guest wanted to give a gift, they could simply slip it onto the table, and if not, that was fine too—they could just stride confidently to their seat, no questions asked.
The reason for having a gift table was so those who wanted to give more could write their name on the envelope.
There were many wealthy folks in Jiang Village, and naturally, they had more customs to follow. For instance, Jiang Yuan’s great-uncle, also known as the eighth uncle of Jiang Fuzhen, enjoyed giving generous gifts around the region. As he grew older, he lost interest in joining the feasts but revelled in giving gifts, and would often give quite a bit, delighting in the joyful looks and sincere gratitude from those he gave to.
On a busy day, the eighth uncle might visit seven or eight places just to give gifts. There was no need to worry that he wouldn’t know where a feast was happening, as professional event companies and individuals made sure to have him in their WeChat contacts—that’s the least they could do.
Jiang Yuan and the others used to be puzzled by the eighth uncle’s behavior, but with the rise of live streaming, they came to understand. Compared to online tipping of female streamers, each of the eighth uncle’s gifts was only a few hundred to a couple of thousand yuan at most, but what he received in return was more than just one woman’s gratitude—it was the thanks of entire families, and sometimes even the gratitude of the ancestor’s entire clan.
In Jiang Fuzhen, things were simpler. Not just people from Jiang Village, but those from outside could join the feast without restrictions. With a fixed number of seats available, locals would just pull up extra chairs for recognized guests once the seats filled up.
Today, Jiang Village had its share of people who had ruined their fortunes as well as outsiders looking for a free meal, but Jiang Fuzhen never inquired. Jiang Yuan himself had enjoyed "meals at a hundred homes" for years, and now that he was well-off, it didn’t matter to him who came to dine.
Jiang Fuzhen personally took charge of cooking, stirring up a lively atmosphere. He even set up a stage, inviting local bands and singers to perform, and Jiang Village’s own band took the stage with Jiang Yongxin, the village’s entrepreneurial star and owner of a used car dealership and rental service, pounding on the drums.